Evaporator unit



Aug. 30, 1932. F. D. P LTIER 1,374,115

' EVAPORATOR UNIT Filed Aug. 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q3 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS.

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Patented Aug. 30,- 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK I). PELTIER,OF. BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TOSERVEL, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE EVAPORATORUNIT This invention relates to evaporator units for mechanicalrefrigerating systems, and more particularly to evaporating units whichare provided with chilling spaces for the reception of icev trays inwhich ice cubes are formed for domestic consumption.

The invention has for its object, the provision of an improvedevaporating unit of the character described, which is efiicient, ecomnomical and readily manufactured.

More specifically, the invention has for its object, the provision of anevaporating unit made of cast metal that is adapted to produce quickcooling effects and arranged to hold the refrigerant in tightly sealedcondition Without the liability of leaks or escape to other parts.

Another object is to provide an evaporator of the cast metal varietywith a receptacle go for the refrigerant, which is made separable and isso arranged as to be in good thermally conducting relation with themetal of the evaporating unit. Such receptacle is also arranged todisposefof condensation and frosting which may gather on the samewithout interfering with the refrigerator effect.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of 5 which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be ,had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings. in which Fig. 1 is a top.plan view, parts being broken away, showing an evaporating unitinstalled in a refrigerating chamber constructed in accordance with theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in sideelevation, showing the evaporating unit disclosed in Fig. 1, viewed froma plane taken at right angles to the plane of Fig. 3 is a front tingunit; 1

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, the plane ofthis section being parallel to the plane of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view. Referring now to the drawings, 10denotes the insulating wall of a refrigerating chamber, from the top ofwhich is suspended an evaporating unit 11, of the present invention,this unit being of a suitable cast metal, for example aluminum, andhaving supporting columns 12 formed integrally therewith and extendingupwardly from the top thereof and secured in the top wall of therefrigerating elevation of the evaporachamber, as'shown at 13 in 2.

The evaporating unit 11 is preferably constructed as an integral caststructure having a chambered forward portion for producing arefrigerating effect, and a rear portion for holding a receptacle 14 forthe refrigerant. The chambered forward portion is clearly shown in Fig.2, and is seen to comprise a plurality of superposed cells separated byhorizontal partitions 15. These partitions extend rearwardly from thefront to form floors for the cells and are integrally joined to the rearportion of the evaporating unit, so as to serve as a means forconducting heat to the receptacle 14. Within each cell and resting onthe partition 15 is disposed a removable ice-tray or drawer, asindicated at 16. In order that the refrigerant receptacle 14 may beremovably held in place in the-rear portion of the evaporating unit,this rear portion is fashioned after the manner of a pair of adjacentlyprojecting jaws '17 and 18 which have oppositely curved walls disposedin concave relation, so as to receive the wallof the receptacle 14- andsnugly fit thereagainst. These jaws 17 and 18. have engaging meanspreferably in the form of a plurality of lugs 19 and 20 formedrespectively along the adjacent edges of the jaws, through which one ormore bolts 21 are passed forsdrawing the same together in grip ingrelation. These bolts are here shown as 'aving nuts 22, which,

when tightened, draw the edges of the jaws 17 i and 18 together so I asto grip tightly the re-,- ceptacle 14.

The receptacle 14 may be of any convenient shape, but is preferably ofcylindrical form having a wall of metal which is relatively strong andof relatively high thermal conductivity. A wall of drawn sheet brass issuitable for this purpose, such wall being preferably drawn from asingle sheet of brass and formed to have a dome shaped lower portion, asindicated at 23. The upper end of the receptacle is hermetically joinedonto any suitable top plate, for example, that indicated at 24 which isdisk shaped, has a bead for the wall 14, and is provided with twotubular conduits shown at 25' and 26 respectively. The connection 26supplies the refrigerant, is of less diameter than that at 25, anddepends into the receptacle a distance which is at or slightly below thenormal liquid level for the refrigerant within the receptacle; thisliquid level being determined in any suitable manner, for example, by afloat valve (not shown in the interest of clearness). The larger tubularconnection 25 leads directly from the top of the receptacle 14 andserves as an exit for the vaporized refrigerant which is returned to thecompressor or other means for circulating the refrigerant.

The concave walls of the jaws 17 and 18, which engage with the walls ofthe receptacle 14 while arranged to make very intimate contacttherewith, are preferably not so formed as to make continuous contact,but have one or more fluted passages or grooves, indicated at 27 and 28respectively, cut thereacross and preferably lie parallel to geometricelements of the wall of receptacle 14. These passages provide verticalexits through which may pass the melted frosting that has formed on theupper projecting end of the receptacle 14.

'It is also seen that these passages impart a' certain amount offlexibility to the walls of the jaws, so that they may be readily drawninto intimate engagement with the receptacle 14. I

In order to accelerate the refrigerating effect which the evaporatingunit produces'in the refrigerating chamber, the rear portion 'of theevaporating unit is preferably provided with a plurality of heatconducting fins as indicated at 30. These fins obviously may have anyconvenient shape and disposition,

and while they are shown as flat and may be placed either horizontally,or vertically, it 'is .preferable that they shall be placed verticaL''ly, as, by this arrangement, the air currents" which cool therefrigerating chamber more readily traverse the same by reason of thechimney efl'ect thereby produced, which as? sistsin accelerating themovement of the air being chilled.

The evaporating unit of the present invention is also preferablyconstructed so as to accelerate the cooling effect inv thechambered'forward portion, of; the unit," 'Tothis end, the middleportion of the rear wall of join the-jaw 17 to the side wall of thecham- Patent, is

each chambered cell is cut away so that the interior of the cell, itscontents and its floor may be disposed directly in heat conductingrelation with the wall of receptacle 14. This construction is clearlyillustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, where it is seen that the. side portionsof the rear wall which remain have edges depicted respectively at 31 and32, the portion'terminating at 31 serving as a web to X5 bered forwardportion of the evaporating unit similarly the portion of the cellterminating at 32 serves as a web to join the jaw 18 to the chamberedforward portion.

The ice-trays 16, which are formed of heat conducting material,preferably have an 'upper rolled edge, as indicated at'36, that may bedrawn outat the'forward portion of the trays, as indicated at 37, inorder to provide a place for the fingers to grip when it isdesired toinsert or draw out the ice-trays from their cells. By this constructionthe entire bottom of each ice-tray is, in heat conducting relation withthe floor 15 of its cell so that quick and relatively uniform chillingeffects upon the water in the ice-trays are thus had. By arranging theseice-trays also to contact with the wall of the receptacle 14, thesechill- In operation, the evaporating unit of the present inventlonissecured in place in the refrigerating chamber with the refrigerantreceptacle 14 alreadyin place. The connection through the conduits 25and 26 of the refrigerant circulating means is then completed and theunit brought to any deslred relatively low surface temperature, forexample 30 F. when refrigerant is circulated therethrough. Water placedin the ice-trays 16 isjreadily frozen and air in the refrigeratingchamber, as it passes over the exterior of the unit, is quickly chilledin consequence thereof. p

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodimentsof the invention could be made with-. out departingfrom the scope thereof, itis intended that all matter contained in the Iabove description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters '1. An evaporating unit for mechanical reevant frigeratingsystems comprising a cast metal body having integrally-joined front andrear structures, said front structure havin top, bottom and side wallsintegrally joine together, and a plurality of integrallyjoinedpartitions extending transversely between the side walls, said rearstructure having the central portion of its rear wall cut away, the sideportions being projected rearwardly and formed as a pair of jaws havingconcave flexible walls.

2. An evaporating unit for mechanical refrigerating systems comprising acast metal body having a portion constructed to engage a receptacle forreceiving and discharging refrigerant, and a second portion integrallyand forwardly disposed with respect to said receptacle engaging portion,and provided with solid integral walls arranged to provide cells for thereception of removable ice-trays, a portion of the rear walls "of saidcells being removed to provide direct access to the wall of saidreceptacle.

3. An evaporator unit comprising a body having a compartment for icetrays and jaws for supporting said body upon an evaporator, said bodybeing cut away between said jaws and compartment for permitting directheat exchange between said compartment and the evaporator upon which thedevice is supported.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

FRANK D. ZPELTIER.

